Du Yuheng stepped outside and respectfully greeted Madam Fang, "Thank you, Grandma. Dr. Qian said my mother's been ill for a long time and is too weak to eat these things. It's better to give them to Aunt for nourishment."

Initially, Madam Fang had just been going through the motions, but upon hearing this, she promptly put away the meat.

"If it's true that this is the first grandchild of our family's younger generation, and they say late-born children are often bright, your aunt is sure to give birth to a son!"

Madam Fang brimmed with pride. At last, the Fang family had an heir. Despite Fang Tong's deep affection for her daughter, she bore the Du surname. That little harlot, her good days were numbered!

Du Yuheng gave a slight smirk, unable to muster even a fake smile.

"I don't care! I can't even decipher fetal status! "

Wait, decipher fetal status? Well, maybe I can explore more in that area.

Du Yuheng drifted into her contemplation.

Madam Fang noticed that Du Yuheng wasn't engaging in the conversation at all, lost in her own thoughts, and suddenly felt ignored.

Useless girl! The Fang family's grandson was about to be born, didn't you know what you should be doing?

"Uh-huh! Du Yuheng, there's something else I need to talk to you about," Madam Fang said. "Your aunt was having a baby, and it's difficult for her to handle much of the household work now. I was getting older, and we needed your help more than ever. Perhaps you could have discussed with Dr. Qian the possibility of reducing your work time there and returning home earlier. Our family was really relying on you."

Du Yuheng now understood Madam Fang's intentions. It seemed Madam Fang wanted to treat her like an unpaid servant girl!

"Grandma, I'm willing to help, but you see, there's so much work to do at the clinic. If I reduce my work time there, they might dock my wages, and considering I come into close contact with patients. If I then return home to cook... Aren't you worried about me possibly passing on any illnesses to Aunt?"

"Want me to serve your daughter-in-law and future grandson, huh? Well, that depends on whether you can hold up to it!"

Madam Fang hesitated upon hearing this. Wages deducted? That was absolutely out of the question! Passing on illnesses, that was something to be cautious about.

"This... well... can't you be more diligent at the clinic? If you don't do it, who will handle the household chores? If you won't do more, then you can at least sweep the yard, feed the chickens, and cook. Once the food is ready, I'll take it inside!"

Anyway, you little harlot, didn't even think about slacking off!

Du Yuheng felt angry. "Grandma, your idea was quite good huh? But I can't discuss this with Dr. Qian about this. Why don't you ask Dr. Qian yourself?"

"Then why don't you first ask Dr. Qian for a few months' salary? Your uncle's wife is pregnant, shouldn't she have some proper care?"

If you couldn't offer assistance in person, you could certainly provide financial support! Anyway, you should make some contributions as well!

Du Yuheng's frustration grew evident. "Grandma, do you realize who Dr. Qian is? The fact that he's willing to provide us with medicine funds is already a tremendous kindness. Now you're requesting an early disbursement of the monthly stipend. Are you under the impression that he's an endlessly patient Bodhisattva?"

What shamelessness! "You're talking about several months' allowance as if it's a simple matter. Why not just go and rob him?"

Du Yuheng turned and entered the room.

"It's only been a few days, and you don't listen to your family anymore! I'm still your grandma! I raised you, is it too much to ask for some respect? I don't know who taught you to be so unruly!"

Useless girl! "You little harlot!" You're just as rotten as your mother!

Madam Fang continued to scold from outside the door, but after a while of being ignored, she reluctantly returned to her room.

Inside the room, Fang Tong ate her meal slowly. The trace of happiness that had been on her face had long vanished.

Du Yuheng's heart sank, and he was about to say something comforting when Fang Tong spoke first.

"Eat, Yuheng. Don't harm your health for their sake. It's not worth it."

Du Yuheng nodded silently and sat down, continuing to shove the cold food into his mouth.

"Don't worry, with your hard work, I won't be the same as before."

Fang Tong took her medicine and went to sleep early as usual, and Du Yuheng, just like the night before, read by the oil lamp until midnight.

That night, the main wing room was filled with joy, while the smaller wing room remained quiet. The northern wind howled, and leaves fell.

It seemed like the world was growing even colder.

In the days that followed, life settled into a semblance of tranquility.

The peace came from the fact that the folks in the main wing room no longer bothered Du Yuheng and his mother.

Mrs. Wang's pregnancy had instilled in her a fresh sense of confidence. For one, she was no longer the target of her mother-in-law's sharp criticisms, which used to liken her to a non-egg-laying hen. Moreover, she had become the most cherished member of the family. Who would dare to oppose her desires?

As soon as she woke up in the morning, Mrs. Wang would start clamoring for breakfast from the street vendors. Madam Fang, who hadn't been doing household chores for many years, couldn't easily adapt to being bossed around by her daughter-in-law. She retorted, her tone far from pleasant, "We have food right here at home. If you want it, eat it."

Mrs. Wang pursed her lips and promptly turned to her husband, Fang Dali, in tears.

Fang Dali hadn't fully awakened yet, and with his wife persistently talking about their future son's cravings for better food, he grew frustrated and complained to his mother, "Mom, just do as she says please."

Madam Fang became extremely angry as soon as she heard it. "What? Is being pregnant so precious now? You insist on eating street bun cakes and even bringing up our grandson! Just because you're pregnant doesn't make you special. When I was carrying you and your sister, I still had to work in the fields! I didn't see you and your sister get any hurt!"

Fang Dali touched his nose, changed his clothes, and swiftly slipped out of the door.

Mrs. Wang sat in the courtyard, her cries and wails filling the air. She alternated between berating her husband for his incompetence and lack of support and accusing her mother-in-law of being stingy and mistreating even the unborn grandson.

Mrs. Wang completely unleashed her emotions, saying everything that crossed her mind. Mr. Fang, inside the house, couldn't bear it any longer.

"You're shameless, but we are not!"

Mr. Fang demanded Madam Fang comply with their daughter-in-law's wishes. With an annoyed huff, Madam Fang reluctantly bought breakfast and claimed that she had strained her waist from exhaustion. She retreated to her room and never emerged again.

Well, at least now there was complete silence.

On the morning of the fourth day, Mrs. Wang came up with a new trick.

Early in the morning, she went into her mother-in-law's room to greet her and check on her back condition. Madam Fang replied with a few grunts, saying that she couldn't get out of bed yet.

Mrs. Wang swiftly changed the topic and mentioned her ability to move around. She boldly demanded that Madam Fang provide her with money to buy food, specifically asking for two taels of silver!

Madam Fang's anger surged, causing her to tremble with fury. Two taels of silver?! Their entire family wouldn't spend that much on food in a year!

What did she carry in her womb?! A deity or something?

Even Mr. Fang, this time, did not support his daughter-in-law and firmly rejected Mrs. Wang's request.

Mrs. Wang, seeing the situation, played her trump card. She clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, startling Fang Dali, who quickly rushed to fetch the doctor.

After carefully examining her pulse, the doctor finally advised her to focus on a nourishing diet and avoid excessive excitement. Mrs. Wang then grumbled that she wanted to return to her home, declaring that she couldn't bear to stay in the Fang family any longer. She insisted on giving birth to their grandson at her home.

Mr. Fang, once again, succumbed to the pressure and rummaged through Madam Fang's tightly-held embrace, managing to retrieve two taels of silver to hand over to Mrs. Wang. Through clenched teeth, he uttered, "Mrs. Wang, buy whatever you want to eat."